1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a cap frame for holding a cap in order to do embroidery by an embroidery sewing machine and a cap-frame setting frame used when the cap is attached to or detached from the cap frame.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there has been proposed an embroidery sewing machine capable of doing embroidery on a front or left/right side of a cap such as a baseball cap. In such an embroidery sewing machine, with a cap having been previously set in a cap frame, by detachably coupling the cap frame with a moving mechanism of the embroidery sewing machine, the embroidery can be done on the cap. Further, generally, when an operator makes an operation of attaching/detaching the cap for the cap frame, a cap-frame setting frame fixed to an operating stand is used. In this case, after the cap frame has been attached to the cap-frame setting frame, the cap is kept on or taken from the cap frame. For example, JP-A-11-200224 disclosed a concrete configuration of the above cap frame and cap-frame setting frame.
Specifically, the cap frame includes a ring-shaped (thin-cylindrical) cap frame body coupled with the rotating frame of a moving mechanism, a curved cap supporting segment integrally attached to the cap frame body, on which the cap is put, a holding-down member for holding down the vicinity of an area of the cap to be embroidered to the cap supporting segment, and a flange supporting piece coupled with the cap frame body for supporting the flange of the cap. In this case, there are two kinds of the cap supporting segment and holding-down member. In a “non-frame type” of cap frame, the cap supporting segment and holding-down member constantly sandwich both sides of the area of the cap to be embroidered. On the other hand, in a “frame type” of cap frame, the cap supporting segment and holding-down member are formed in a nearly square frame shape to constantly sandwich the portion surrounding the area to be embroidered of the cap to be embroidered.
On the other hand, the cap-frame setting frame has a curved base frame into which the cap frame body of the cap frame is attached in a fit state from outside. The base frame is relatively long in its axial direction. Particularly, where the cap is attached to the “non-frame type” of cap frame, in the state where the cap frame has been attached to the base frame, the base frame projects toward the top of the cap more largely than the cap supporting segment does. And the cap to be set in the cap frame is received from inside at the projecting portion. This facilitates the operation of setting the cap in the cap frame.
Meanwhile, in order to do embroidery at a prescribed position of the cap, it is necessary to set the cap in the cap frame in a circumferentially aligned status. For example, where the embroidery is done on the front of the cap, the positioning of the cap for the cap frame is done by aligning the circumferential center of the cap frame and the center of the front of the cap. Conventionally, in order to make this alignment, a center line was inscribed or marked on the cap frame body. Thus, while an operator makes the alignment so that the center of the cap (mostly, a central seam on the front of the cap) aligns with the center line, he or she does the operation of holding the cap in the cap frame.
However, in the embroidery sewing machine with the center line for alignment inscribed on the cap frame body of the cap frame, once the cap has been put on the cap frame body, the center line is concealed by the cap from view. As a result, the center of the cap frame could not necessarily be easily aligned with the center of the cap. Further, even if the alignment was satisfactory when the cap was put on the cap frame, as the case may be, the cap might slide circumferentially by the holding-down member when the cap was held by the holding-down member.
In order to obviate such an inconvenience, there has been also proposed an embroidery sewing machine in which the center line is inscribed at the tip of the flange supporting piece where the center line is not concealed from view when the cap is put on the cap frame body. However, since the position of the center line is greatly remote from the area to be embroidered, it is not so easy to align the center of the cap frame with the center of the cap by visually checking the center line. Incidentally, as regards the frame type of cap frame having the frame-shaped holding-down member, the center line for alignment can be inscribed on the surface of the holding-down member where the center line is not concealed from view. However, this holding-down member will slide in its circumferential position of the cap frame body (cap supporting segment) owing to changes in the cloth thickness of the cap or in force of holding down the cap by the holding-down member. Thus, the center line for alignment does not teach an exact center position of the cap frame (the central position cannot be known).